Gel-form composition for supplying protein and calcium

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a gel composition for protein and calcium supplementation having a pH in the range of 3 to 4 and containing the following components: 3 to 8 wt. % of Protein or its hydrolysate that does not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4; 0.1 to 0.5 wt. % of calcium; 0.5 to 3 wt. % of acidulant; 4 to 20 wt. % of carbohydrate; 0 to 5 wt. % of fat; 0 to 0.5 wt. % of emulsifying agent; 0.1 to 1 wt. % of agar; and 65 to 90 wt. % of water.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a gel composition for nutritionalsupplementation that has refreshing taste and contains protein andcalcium in high concentrations and has an acidic pH.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, people care more about health, weight management, diet,etc., and the number of people who join in activities such as jogging,cycling and mountaineering is increasing. Under such circumstances, afood composition that allows easy and convenient intake of good qualityprotein and calcium is desired for supplementing energy, increasing theamount of body protein such as in muscles and increasing the amount ofcalcium in the body.

In the meantime, there is anxiety with regard to the aging society interms of the reduction of muscle mass and bone density with age and theincrease of patients showing symptoms such as sarcopenia (muscularatrophy), or osteoporosis which tends to occur often in women. There isa need for a food composition that helps to prevent or ameliorate suchproblems.

Further, hospitals desire a food for providing supplementary good highprotein and calcium that can be ingested in a simple and easy manner bypatients in bed during postoperative convalescence, rehabilitation afterfracture, convalescence from liver disease, convalescence from renaldisease, etc.

Recently, several sorts of jellied drinks have been sold as a new formof food or beverage in the soft drink market. Jellied drinks are to bedrunk after crushing solidified jelly by shaking or the like, and theirunique softness, throatfeel and unusual interesting texture of the gelare attracting attention as matching the taste of modern people.

Such jellied drinks are adjusted to have an acidic pH like general softdrinks and have good keeping qualities but almost never contain protein,calcium and the like. Thus, the drinks do not have a composition thatallows sufficient supplementation of protein or calcium.

The present inventors already developed a nutritive compositioncontaining macronutrients in well-balanced proportions (JapaneseExamined Patent Publication No. 083653/1994), and a highly viscoushigh-protein food composition for nutritional supplementation (JapaneseExamined Patent Publication No. 102112/1995). However, variousdifficulties existed in converting these compositions into gelcompositions with high concentrations of protein and calcium.

In the meantime, other scientists have developed a gel food fornutritional supplementation that is suitable for persons with swallowingdifficulties and a production method thereof (WO99/34690). This gel foodcontains protein, fat and like essential nutrients in well-balancedproportions, has a refreshing acidic pH and is a gel food suitable fordrinking and swallowable. However, the gel food is a complex gel of anisoelectric gel protein (gel produced from protein) and a gel made bygelling agents (thickening agents) such as pectin or xanthan gum.Therefore the gel has the following drawbacks. Since the gel is producedby the steps of protein coagulation (gelation), homogenization andgelation of the resulting emulsion using gelling agents, the proteingel, if poorly homogenized, adversely affects palatability. In addition,the gel degrades with time (e.g., is reduced in strength, partiallycollapses, releases water, etc.) as the pH of the gel food decreaseswith time during long-term storage. Therefore, the gel cannot remain ina uniform gel state suitable for eating and drinking (having moderatehardness and viscosity to allow easy ingestion) as attained immediatelyafter production.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The major object of the invention is to provide a gel composition forprotein and calcium supplementation that contains protein and calcium inhigh concentrations, has a refreshing acidic pH and is in the form of asoft gel suitable for eating and drinking, and the gel state beingstably maintained for a long period.

The present inventors carried out intensive research based on theassumption that a composition containing high concentrations of proteinand calcium in the form of a jelly drink can provide a food or beveragethat is highly suitable for eating and drinking and providesmultinutrition supplementation, but encountered the following problems.When compositions containing protein and the like in relatively highconcentrations are adjusted to have a refreshing acidic pH like knownjelly drinks, the compositions may not form a uniform gel due to proteincoagulation, which results in a rough, coarse texture and results inreduced palatability. Beverages containing calcium in a highconcentration have a high buffering effect and require large amounts oforganic acids to change their pH into an acidic range and therefore havea strong acidic taste. In addition, such beverages have the astringenttaste of calcium.

The present inventors carried out further intensive research and foundthat when certain components are incorporated in specific amounts, a gelcomposition for protein and calcium supplementation that achieves theabove object can be obtained. The inventors carried out furtherintensive research and accomplished the present invention.

The present invention provides the following gel compositions:

1. A gel composition for protein and calcium supplementation comprisingthe following components and having a pH in the range of 3 to 4:

Protein or its hydrolysate that does not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4 3-8wt. % Calcium 0.1-0.5 wt. % Acidulant 0.5-3 wt. % Carbohydrate 4-20 wt.% Fat 0-5 wt. % Emulsifying agent 0-0.5 wt. % Agar 0.1-1 wt. % Water65-90 wt. %

2. The gel composition according to item 1, further comprising 0.1 to 20wt. % of at least one masking agent selected from the group consistingof fruit juice, fermented milk, hard-to-digest dextrin, reducedhard-to-digest dextrin, nigerooligosaccharide and trehalose.

3. The gel composition according to item 1 or 2, further comprisingvitamin D in an amount of 0.1×10⁻⁶ to 10×10⁻⁶ wt. %.

4. The gel composition according to any of items 1 to 3, wherein theprotein that does not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4 is at least one memberselected from the group consisting of whey protein concentrates, wheyprotein isolates, desalted whey, and protein hydrolysates having anumber average molecular weight of 500 to 10000.

In this specification, “%” indicates “weight %”, unless otherwisespecified.

The gel composition for protein and calcium supplementation of thisinvention is in the form of a soft gel especially suitable for drinkingand has a refreshing mouthfeel, the gel form and mouthfeel being stablymaintained for a long period.

The gel composition of the invention has such fluidity, for example, incase that the composition contained in a container with a mouthpiece,can be easily drunk or eaten through the mouthpiece. In addition, thecomposition has a moderate hardness and viscosity that can providepleasant palatability and throatfeel.

The gel composition of the invention has a refreshing mouthfeel, basedon the combined use of specific components and pH adjustment to theacidic range of pH 3 to pH 4, preferably pH 3.5 to pH 4.

The gel form and mouthfeel of the composition of the invention arestably maintained for a long period. For example, the composition afterbeing left for 1 month at 37° C. has substantially the same levels of pHand gel form as immediately after production.

Furthermore, the gel composition of the invention, although containinghigh concentrations of protein and calcium, is free of problems such asgraininess and roughness caused by protein aggregation or coagulation,lacks an astringent calcium taste, and is suitable for drinking and hasan excellent mouthfeel. In addition, the appearance of the compositionis smooth and uniform.

The gel composition of the invention contains abundant well balancednutrients essential to the human body such as protein, calcium,carbohydrate and fat, as described above. Therefore, the intake of thecomposition produces an excellent nutritional supportive effect.

The gel composition of the invention will be described below in moredetail.

Protein

The gel composition of the invention contains protein as an essentialingredient. Protein is one of the three major nutrients, along withcarbohydrate and fat. The proteins to be used are selected from proteinsthat do not coagulate at the pH of the gel composition of the invention,i.e., pH 3 to pH 4. Examples of useful proteins include proteins such aswhey protein concentrates (WPC), whey protein isolates (WPI) anddesalted whey, and protein hydrolysates having a number averagemolecular weight of 500 to 10000 (peptides, which may contain aminoacids as a part). Among the above proteins, WPC, WPI and gelatin peptideare preferable.

WPC and WPI are whey products obtained by subjecting liquid whey, whichis a by-product produced during the production of milk products such ascheese and casein, to operations such as filtration, ion exchange,crystallization, precipitation and/or reverse osmosis. Although thereare slight differences depending on the manufacturer, their variousphysical properties, including their protein composition, areapproximately as shown in Table 1 (see New Food Industry, 25 (3), 33(1983), etc.). TABLE 1 WPC-34 WPC-50 WPC-60 WPC-75 WPC-80 WPI Protein34-36 50-52 60-62 75-78 80-82 90-92 α-lactoglobulin 6.5 9.5 11 14 15 21β-lactoglobulin 16 24 29 36 38 47 Serum albumin 1.7 2.5 3.0 3.8 4.0 1.5Immunoglobulin 2.7 4.0 4.8 6.0 6.4 2.4 Lactose 48-52 33-37 25-30 10-154-8 0.5-1   Fat   3-4.5 5-6 1-7 4-9 4-8 0.5-1   Ash 6.5-8.0 4.5-5.5 4-64-6 3-4 2-3 Water 3.0-4.5 3.5-4.5 3-5 3-5 3.5-4.5 4.5 PH   6-6.7   6-6.7  6-6.7   6-6.7   6-6.7   6-6.7

Desalted whey is obtained by pasteurizing whey at a low temperature andremoving therefrom minerals by precipitation, filtration, dialysis orother separation techniques. Normally, it contains 79% carbohydrate, 2%fat, 13% protein and less than 7% ash.

When WPC, WPI or desalted whey is used, the proportion of protein in thegel composition of the invention is indicated by the amount of proteinin the WPC, WPI or desalted whey.

Examples of protein hydrolysates having a number average molecularweight of about 500-10000 include peptides obtained by hydrolyzingproteins which do not coagulate at pH 3-4 or proteins such as casein,gelatin, soybean protein and wheat protein with enzymes or acids to themolecular weight mentioned above. They usually contain peptides whereinup to 100 amino acids are connected by peptide linkages. Amino acids mayalso be included as a part of the protein hydrolysates.

Proteins that do not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4, as exemplified above,may be used singly or in combination of two or more, as the protein ofthe invention.

The proportion of protein in the gel composition of the invention ispreferably in the range of about 3 to about 8 wt. %, and more preferablyabout 4 to about 7 wt. %.

Incorporation of protein in the above proportional range provides anutritionally balanced composition that allows efficient proteinsupplementation.

In the invention, if necessary, the composition of the invention maycontain protein which coagulate at an acidic range, in addition toprotein which do not coagulate at pH 3-4.

Specific examples of proteins that coagulate in the acidic range includecasein, soy protein, wheat protein and the like. Salts, fermentedproducts, extracts or condensates of casein, soy protein or wheatprotein are also usable. Whole milk powders, skim milk powders and thelike are also usable. Among the above proteins, fermented proteinproducts such as yogurt and cheese are preferable. These proteins can beused singly or in combination of two or more.

The combined use of protein that does not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4 andprotein that coagulates in the acidic range can adjust the balance ofprotein content and improve taste.

It should be understood that the amount of protein which coagulate atacidic pH added to the composition of the invention needs to be suchthat the characteristics of the composition of the invention such as gelform and texture (feel to the tongue) are not impaired. A suitableamount of the protein which coagulate at acidic pH is less than 1 wt. %,in the gel composition of the invention.

Calcium

The gel composition of the invention contains calcium as an essentialingredient. Calcium is needed for the formation of bone and teeth andmaintains normal blood calcium levels and the health of bones and teeth.In addition, calcium is an important nutritional component that smoothlyactivates the functions of the blood, heart and muscles and sufficientintake is required. In particular, modern people have been pointed out apoor intake of calcium through meals and their calcium supplementationis strongly desired.

However, since beverages containing calcium in a high concentration havea strong buffering effect and require large amounts of organic acids tochange their pH into the acidic range, conventional beverages have astrong acidic taste and also the astringent taste of calcium.

The present invention achieves the suppression of acidic taste andastringent taste by selecting the calcium material and other componentsand setting their proportions in a specific range.

Examples of raw materials to be incorporated as calcium-containingsubstances in the gel composition include natural calcium materials andsynthetic calcium materials.

Examples of natural calcium materials include milk calcium, shellcalcium, coral calcium, eggshell calcium, bone calcium, dolomite and thelike.

Examples of synthetic calcium materials include calcium chloride,calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, calciumpyrophosphate dihydrate, calcium gluconate and the like.

Natural calcium materials are particularly preferable in view of theirgood taste and texture (mouthfeel).

The proportion of calcium in the gel composition is preferably in therange of about 0.1 to about 0.5 wt. %, and more preferably about 0.1 toabout 0.4 wt. %. The incorporation of calcium in the above proportionalrange provides a nutritionally balanced composition that achievesefficient calcium supplementation.

The proportion of calcium in the invention is indicated by the amount ofcalcium in the calcium material.

Acidulant

Acidulants are incorporated in the gel composition of the invention toadjust the pH to the range of 3 to 4, preferably 3.5 to 4. It ispreferable to use as acidulants at least two kinds of acidic componentsselected from the group consisting of citric acid, ascorbic acid,tartaric acid, succinic acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, phosphoricacid, phytic acid and lactic acid. Citric acid can be used in the formof trisodium citrate.

The proportion of acidulant in the gel composition of the invention ispreferably in the range of about 0.5 to about 3 wt. %, and morepreferably about 0.5 to about 2 wt. %. The incorporation of acidulant inthe above proportional range improves mouthfeel (texture) as desired andachieves pH adjustment or buffer function.

The pH of the gel composition described in this specification is the pHvalue determined by the glass electrode method.

Carbohydrate

The gel composition of the invention contains carbohydrate as anessential ingredient. Carbohydrate is one of the three major nutrientsand is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles and consumed as anenergy source when exercising, etc.

The carbohydrate to be used can be selected from general carbohydrateconventionally used in this type of composition for nutritionalsupplementation. Specific examples of carbohydrate includemonosaccharides such as glucose and fructose; disaccharides such asmaltose and sucrose; sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, glycerinand erythritol; polysaccharides such as dextrin and cyclodextrin;oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharide andgalactooligosaccharide.

These carbohydrates can be used singly or in combination of two or more.

When two or more carbohydrates are used in combination, commerciallyavailable carbohydrate mixtures, for example, isomerized sugar, purifiedsucrose and the like are of course usable.

Usable carbohydrates include those serving not only as nutrients butalso as sweeteners, such as sucrose. Carbohydrates serving as sweetenersare preferably used, because they impart sweetness to the gelcomposition.

The proportion of carbohydrate in the gel composition is preferably inthe range of about 4 to about 20 wt. %, preferably about 4 to about 18wt. %, and more preferably about 5 to about 16 wt. %.

The use of carbohydrate in the above proportional range provides anutritionally balanced composition that achieves adequate carbohydratesupplementation.

Fat

The gel composition of the invention may contain fat for nutritionalsupplement. Fats serve as substitute energy sources for carbohydratesduring, for example, long-term physical exercise.

Examples of fats include long-chain fatty acid triglyceride (LCT) assources of essential fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride(MCT) and the like.

Usually LCT is a triglyceride of fatty acids having 11 or more carbonatoms, including, for example, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, saffloweroil, corn oil, rice oil, coconut oil, basil oil, sesame oil, linseed oiland like vegetable oils, sardine oil, cod liver oil and like fish oils,toad oil and the like.

Usually MCT is a triglyceride of fatty acids having 8 to 10 carbon atomsand includes, for example, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid andthe like. MCT is characterized by easy absorption, easy combustion andlow accumulation.

LCT and MCT may be used singly or as a mixture of two or more LCTs, amixture of two or more MCTs or a mixture of LCT and MCT.

The proportion of fat in the gel composition is about 0 to about 5 wt.%, preferably about 0 to about 3 wt. %, and more preferably about 0.1 toabout 3 wt. %.

The incorporation of fat in the above proportional range provides acomposition that achieves balanced nutritional supplementation.

Emulsifying Agent

Fats are soluble in oil but sparingly soluble in water, and thus in thepresent invention are usually used in the form of an oil-in-wateremulsion. For producing the composition of the invention containing fat,it is therefore necessary to use an emulsifying agent in order toemulsify the fat.

The emulsifying agent can be suitably selected from those heretoforeused in the field of beverage and food products. Considering that thecomposition of the invention is adjusted to the specified acidic pH, itis preferable that selection be made from emulsifying agents having acidresistance.

Typical examples of emulsifying agents are glycerol fatty acid estercompounds. Examples of useful glycerol fatty acid ester compoundsinclude various compounds known as emulsifying agents in the field offood products. For example, any of emulsifying agents categorized intohighly purified monoglycerides, reactive monoglycerides, highly purifiedfatty acid monoesters of diglycerine, polyglycerine esters and the likecan be used.

Specific examples include commercially available “Sunsoft” (trademark,manufactured by TAIYO KAGAKU CO., LTD.), “Emulsy” (trademark,manufactured by RIKEN VITAMIN CO., LTD.) and “Ryoto” (trademark,manufactured by MITSUBISHI-KAGAKU FOOD CORPORATION).

Emulsifying agents other than glycerol fatty acid ester compounds can beused in the present invention, if such emulsifying agents are used inthe field of food products.

Examples include phospholipids such as egg yolk lecithin, hydrogenatedegg yolk lecithin, soybean lecithin and hydrogenated soybean lecithin;synthetic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene monooleate (e.g.,commercially available product “Tween 80” manufactured by AMR), sucrosefatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fattyacid esters, and the like.

The emulsifying agents can be used singly or in combination of two ormore. The combined use of two or more emulsifying agents is usuallypreferable.

The proportion of emulsifying agents in the gel composition ispreferably about 0 to about 0.5 wt. %, and more preferably about 0 toabout 0.3 wt. %.

When the gel composition of the invention is produced by preparing inadvance an emulsion or dispersion mixture of protein, citric acid andother acidic components, the proportion of emulsifying agents in themixture is preferably in the range of about 1 to about 5%, and morepreferably about 3 to about 5%.

Agar

The gel composition of the invention contains agar as an essentialgelling agent. It is difficult to gelate beverages containing highconcentrations of protein and calcium by using generally usedcation-reactive gelling agents, such as gellan gum and carrageenan.However, by using a non-reactive gelling agents such as agar, goodrefreshing gel foods can be obtained.

Any agar which is prepared from red algae with hot water extraction,solidifying and drying the extract is useful. Red algae include Tengusa(Gelidium amansii), Ogonori (Gracilaria verrucosa), Obakusa (Pterocladiatenuis) and Itanikusa (Ahnfeltia plicata). Such agar includes agarstrings, agar stick, agar flakes, agar powders and the like.

The proportion of agar in the composition is preferably about 0.1 toabout 1 wt. %, and more preferably about 0.2 to about 0.8 wt. %.

The use of agar in the above proportional range provides a gelcomposition that is homogenous and highly suitable for drinking oreating, which is an object of the present invention.

Other Gelling Agents or Thickening Agents

The composition of the invention, if necessary, may contain, along withagar, various substances heretofore used as gelling agents and/orthickening agents in the field of food products.

Examples of gelling agents include gellan gum, carrageenan, pectin,gelatin and the like.

Examples of thickening agents include furcellaran, locust bean gum, guargum, gum Arabic, xanthan gum and the like.

Among the above gelling agents, gellan gum, carrageenan, pectin andgelatin are preferable and gellan gum is particularly preferable. Amongthe above thickening agents, locust bean gum, guar gum and xanthan gumare preferable and guar gum is particularly preferable.

The gelling agents and thickening agents can be used singly or incombination of two or more.

Such gelling agents and/or thickening agents exhibit an appropriategelling ability and gel stabilizing ability and control the gel strengthof the resulting gel. In addition, when used in combination with agar,they can also mitigate water release and improve the texture of theresulting gel. The combined use of agar and guar gum or agar and gellangum is particularly preferable with regard to excellent mouthfeel(texture).

Each the gelling agent and the thickening agent is added to the gelcomposition of the invention preferably in an amount ranging from about0.05-0.3 wt. %. For example, when guar gum or gellan gum is used incombination with agar, the proportion of guar gum or gellan gum in thegel composition of the invention is preferably about 0.05 to about 0.3wt. %.

Masking Agent

Preferably, the gel composition of the invention further contains amasking agent to suppress the bad taste and flavor caused by highconcentrations of protein and calcium.

Examples of masking agents include fruit juice, fermented milk,hard-to-digest dextrin, reduced hard-to-digest dextrin,nigerooligosaccharide and trehalose.

Among the above masking agents, fruit juice, hard-to-digest dextrin andreduced hard-to-digest dextrin are particularly preferable to achieve anexcellent masking effect.

The proportion of masking agent in the gel composition is preferably 0.1to 20 wt. %, and more preferably about 0.5 to about 15 wt. %. The use ofa masking agent in the above proportional range is highly effective inameliorating the astringent taste of calcium.

Vitamin D

In the invention, vitamin D is preferably incorporated to enhancecalcium absorption. The combined use of calcium and vitamin D producessignificant effects such as enhancement of calcium absorption in theintestinal tract and elevation of blood calcium concentration.

Vitamin D includes vitamin D₂ and vitamin D₃, which are different inside chain structure. Both forms of vitamin can be used as the vitamin Din the invention.

The proportion of vitamin D in the composition is preferably in therange of about 0.1×10⁻⁶ wt. % to about 10×10⁻⁶ wt. %, and morepreferably about 0.3×10⁻⁶ wt. % to about 5×10⁻⁶ wt. %. The use ofvitamin D in the above proportional range is highly effective inenhancing calcium absorption in the intestinal tract and strengtheningbones.

Other Additives

The gel composition of the invention may, if desired, further containappropriate additives in addition to the above components.

Examples of such additives include sweeteners such as natural sweeteners(other than carbohydrates) and artificial sweeteners, vitamins, minerals(electrolytes and trace elements), flavoring agents such as naturalflavors, synthetic flavors, coloring agents, flavoring materials(chocolate, etc.), food preservatives, natural fruit juices, naturalfruit fleshes, and the like.

Examples of natural sweeteners (non-carbohydrate) include thaumatin,stevia extract (rebaudioside A, etc.), glycyrrhizin, and the like.Examples of artificial sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame and thelike. When a sweetener is added to supplement any insufficient sweetnessprovided by the addition of carbohydrate in the specified amount, theproportion of sweetener is preferably about 0.01 to about 0.2%, and morepreferably about 0.02 to about 0.1%, relative to the total weight of thecomposition.

Examples of vitamins include water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins suchas vitamin A (retinols), vitamin B₁ (thiamine), vitamin B₂ (riboflavin),vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine), vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin), vitamin E(tocopherol), niacin, bisbentiamine, nicotinamide, calcium pantothenate,folic acid, biotin, choline bitartrate and the like.

Examples of particularly preferable vitamins include a multivitamin(hereinafter referred to as “multivitamin 1”) of the followingcomponents: Vitamin A 10-2000 IU Vitamin B₁ 0.01-3.0 mg Vitamin B₂0.01-3.1 mg Vitamin B₆ 0.01-3.2 mg Vitamin B₁₂ 0.1-30 μg Vitamin E 1-100IU Nicotinamide 0.1-30 mg Calcium pantothemate 0.1-31 mg Folic acid0.01-3.0 mg

The multivitamin may further contain about 1 to 500 mg of vitamin C.

Examples of minerals (electrolytes and trace elements) include knownminerals such as sodium chloride, sodium acetate, magnesium sulfate,magnesium chloride, dipotassium phosphate, monosodium phosphate, ferriccitrate, ferrous pyrophosphate, ferric pyrophosphate, iron and sodiumsuccinatocitrate, manganese sulfate, cupric sulfate, zinc sulfate,sodium iodide, potassium sorbate, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine,cobalt and the like.

Examples of flavoring agents include apple flavors, orange flavors,grapefruit flavors, lemon flavors and the like. These flavoring agentsinclude natural and synthetic flavors.

Examples of coloring agents include Red No. 2, Red No. 3, Green No. 3,Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Yellow No. 4, Yellow No. 5, red cabbage color,orange pigment, gardenia pigment, chlorophyll, Perilla color, tomatopigment, safflower pigment and the like.

Examples of flavoring materials include chocolate.

Examples of food preservatives include butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA),dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT), sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, disodiumethylenediaminetetra-acetate (EDTA), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ),benzoic acid, Japanese styrax benzoin extract, rumput roman extract,hinokitiol extract, pectin digests, Magnolia obovata extract, forsythiaextract and the like.

Examples of natural fruit juices and natural fruit fleshes include thoseof apples, green apples, oranges, mandarin oranges, grapefruits,peaches, strawberries, muscats, grapes, pineapples, lemons, pears,litchis, blueberries, mangos, bananas and like fruits.

The addition of vitamins and minerals is particularly preferable forcomprehensive nutritional supplementation.

The above additives can be used singly or in combination of two or morein the gel composition of the invention.

Although the proportions of additives in the gel composition are notparticularly limited, the additives are usually used in such an amountthat the total amount of additives is less than about 2 parts by weightper 100 parts by weight of the gel composition.

Method of Producing the Gel Composition

The gel composition of the invention is prepared by mixing andemulsifying the specified amount of the components mentioned above withthe specific amount of water with heating and then cooling the mixture.Such emulsification can be conducted by adding all the components towater at once and then lightly carrying out a mechanical operation suchas stirring. Alternatively, it can be conducted by preliminarilypreparing an aqueous solution of the water-soluble components, adding tothe solution the oil-soluble components and an emulsifying agent or amixture thereof and subjecting them to a similar mechanical operationsuch as stirring. Generally, the latter is preferable to obtain a moreuniformly emulsified mixture.

The above mixing operation (emulsification operation) can be performedat room temperature, but is preferably performed while heating at 30 to60° C.

The emulsifying operation can be conducted in a known manner with asuitable emulsifier, for example, homomixer, high-pressure homogenizeror the like. The emulsifying operation can be conducted by completepassage process or circulation process.

For example, the following preferable method can be used to prepare thegel composition of the invention. To a mixture (dispersion) of proteinmaterials, citric acid and water are added fat, emulsifying agent,carbohydrate, calcium material, and other additive components. Theobtained emulsion is heated to about 60° C. The emulsion is then mixedwith a solution prepared by dissolving agar and other gelling agents orthickening agents under heating in water which had been previouslyheated to about 80° C.

The desired gel drink product is obtainable by cooling the emulsionobtained above, preferably by placing in a suitable container,sterilizing and cooling.

Suitable containers are any of those made of plastics and used asstorage containers for this type of products. Examples of containermaterials include polyethylene, polypropylene, stretched polyamide,polyethylene terephthalate, Eval (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymerresin, product of KURARAY CO., LTD.) and composite materials produced bylaminating these resins and aluminum, paper or the like. Examples ofcommercially available containers include Soft Pouch (manufactured byFUJI SEAL, INC.), Bottled Pouch (manufactured by TOPPAN PRINTING CO.,LTD.), Spouch (manufactured by DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO., LTD.) andCheerpack (manufactured by HOSOKAWA YOKO CO., LTD.).

Sterilization can be performed in a known manner such as by heating. Inthis case, sterilization also serves as heating and thus makes precedingheating unnecessary.

The gel composition thus obtained is highly suitable for eating ordrinking and safely ingestable. In addition, ingesting the gelcomposition provides sufficient protein and calcium supplementation andwell balanced nutritional supplementation.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following examples are provided to illustrate the present inventionin further detail. In the examples, parts and percentages are all byweight unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLES 1 TO 10

The specified amounts of the components shown in Tables 2 and 3 belowwere added to water together with appropriate amounts of othercomponents, i.e., pineapple juice, multivitamin 1 and pineapple flavorand mixed and stirred to make a total weight of 180 g. After emulsifyingthe mixture, the emulsion was heated to 80° C., packed in a Spouch(manufactured by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.), and sterilized byheating at 80° C. for 10 minutes and cooled to provide a pouched gelbeverage product of the invention.

The protein components used in Tables 2 and 3 are as follows:

-   -   WPI; WPI shown in Table 1    -   WPC; WPC-80 shown in Table 1    -   Gelatin peptide; obtained by hydrolysis of gelatin and having        the number average molecular weight to about 3,000 to about        4,000 and a pH of 5.0 to 6.5 in aqueous solution

Energy was calculated by the following equation: (4 kcal×carbohydratecontent)+(9 kcal×fat content)+(4 kcal×protein content). In Table 2 and3, energy is shown as kcal per 100 g of sample. TABLE 2 ComponentExample (%) 1 2 3 4 5 Protein material WPC — 7.0 4.0 2.0 3.0 WPI 7.0 —3.0 2.0 — Gelatin peptide — — — — 1.5 Calcium material Calcium lactate —— 1.0 — — Calcium gluconate 1.7 — — 0.2 0.1 Shell calcium — 0.5 — 0.3 —Milk calcium — — — — 0.3 Acidulant Citric acid 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.5Lactic acid — 0.5 1.0 — — Gluconic acid — — — 1.0 — Phosphoric acid — —— — 0.5 Masking component Fruit juice 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Reducedhard-to-digest — — — — 0.5 dextrin Nigerooligosaccharide — — — — —Trehalose — — — 0.2 — Thickening agents/ gelling agents Agar 0.3 0.3 0.30.4 0.4 Guar gum 0.1 — — — 0.1 Locust bean gum — 0.1 — — — Xanthan gum —— 0.1 — — Carbohydrate material Sugar — 5 8 4 3 Oligosaccharide 4 10 10— 11 Sucralose 0.05 — — 0.03 — Fat material Corn oil — — — 0.5 0.3Soybean oil — 0.7 0.3 — — Emulsifying agent Glycerol fatty acid — 0.020.01 0.02 0.01 ester Trace component Vitamin D₃ oil — 0.002 0.002 0.0020.002 Ascorbic acid — 0.2 0.1 0.05 0.05 Water 88 75 70 88 78 Enerqy(kcal/100g) 80 160 170 80 150 pH 3.95 3.90 3.91 3.92 3.80 Protein (%)6.7 5.7 6.0 4.2 4.7 Calcium content (mg %) 200 170 170 110 110 Vitamin Dcontent — 1.0 1.5 1.8 1.8 (μg %)

TABLE 3 Component Example (%) 6 7 8 9 10 Protein material WPC — 4.0 1.03.0 3.5 WPI 3.0 — 1.5 — — Gelatin peptide 3.0 1.5 3.0 5.0 2.5 Calciummaterial Calcium lactate 0.6 — — — — Calcium gluconate 0.2 — 0.1 0.1 0.2Milk calcium — 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 Acidulant Citric acid 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.8Lactic acid — — 0.5 — 0.5 Gluconic acid — 0.3 — 0.5 — Phosphoric acid0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.8 Masking component Fruit juice 1.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.0Reduced hard-to-digest 1.0 0.5 — — — dextrin Nigerooligosaccharide — —1.0 — 0.5 Trehalose — — — 1.0 — Thickening agents/ gelling agents Agar0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 Gellan gum 0.1 0.1 — — 0.1 Carrageenan — — 0.1 — —Pectin — — — 0.1 — Carbohydrate material Sugar 5 10 12 9 10Oligosaccharide 7 — — — — Dextrin — 2 — 5 3 Fat material Corn oil — —0.3 1.0 — Soybean oil 0.3 0.3 — — 0.5 Emulsifying agent Glycerol fattyacid 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.05 0.02 ester Trace component Vitamin D₃ oil 0.0030.002 0.003 0.002 0.002 Water 78 71 76 70 75 Energy (kcal/100 g) 150 175170 200 175 pH 3.80 3.80 3.82 3.80 3.80 Protein (%) 5.5 5.5 5.5 8.3 5.5Calcium content (mg %) 110 140 150 140 170 Vitamin D content 3.2 3.7 3.12.4 2.1 (μg %)

All the gel compositions of the invention obtained above had a uniformappearance and smooth surface and were in a soft gel state.

Further, the gel compositions obtained in Examples 1 to 10 were tastedand evaluated for their mouthfeel by well trained panelists. Table 4shows the evaluation results. TABLE 4 Gel composition Mouthfeelevaluation Example 1 Excellent Example 2 Good Example 3 Good Example 4Good Example 5 Excellent Example 6 Excellent Example 7 Excellent Example8 Good Example 9 Good Example 10 Excellent

As shown in Table 4, the results clearly show that the gel compositionsof the invention have superior mouthfeel (texture).

TEST EXAMPLES

Gel compositions 1 to 11 were prepared in the same manner as in Example1 except that the masking components were changed to those shown inTable 5.

The compositions were tasted by ten panelists and sensorily evaluatedfor their effectiveness in masking the astringent taste of calcium,based on the following criteria:

-   5 points: having substantially no calcium taste-   4 points: having a slight residual calcium taste-   3 points: having calcium taste but at an acceptable level-   2 points: having calcium taste; hesitancy in drinking-   1 point: having a strong calcium taste; unsuitable for drinking

Table 5 shows the evaluation results. The total evaluation pointsassigned by the panelists are shown in the column “Sensory evaluation”.TABLE 5 Gel Proportion Sensory composition Masking component (%)evaluation 1 Nothing — 24 2 Nigerooligosaccharide 0.5 30 3Nigerooligosaccharide 1.0 35 4 Nigerooligosaccharide 2.0 36 5 Trehalose0.5 28 6 Trehalose 1.0 32 7 Trehalose 2.0 33 8 Hard-to-digest dextrin0.5 45 9 Hard-to-digest dextrin 1.0 44 10 Reduced hard-to-digest dextrin0.5 45 11 Reduced hard-to-digest dextrin 1.0 47

As shown in Table 5, the results clearly show that the masking agents(components) significantly suppressed the astringent taste of calcium inthe gel compositions of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The gel composition of the invention can be eaten or drunk safely and ishighly suitably for eating and drinking. Ingestion of the gelcomposition provides sufficient supplementation of protein and calcium.

The gel composition for protein and calcium supplementation of theinvention is in the form of a soft gel suitable for drinking or eatingand has a refreshing mouthfeel, the gel form and mouthfeel being stablymaintained for a long period.

The gel composition of the invention, although containing protein andcalcium in high concentrations, are free of problems such as graininessand roughness caused by protein aggregation or coagulation, lacks anastringent calcium taste, and is highly suitable for drinking or eatingwith an excellent mouthfeel. The composition is smooth and uniform inappearance.

In addition, since the gel composition of the invention containsabundant well balanced nutrients essential to the human body such asprotein, calcium, carbohydrate and fat, the composition has excellentnutritional supplementary effect.

Further, the gel composition of the invention can be ingested easily andconveniently and is suitable for use by athletes who want quicknutritional supplementation during physical exercise or by patients inbed in need of nutritional supplementation. In addition, the uptake ofthe composition of the invention, in combination with physical exercise,is effective in strengthening muscles and bones.

1. A gel composition for protein and calcium supplementation comprisingthe following components and having a pH in the range of 3 to 4: Proteinor its hydrolysate that does not coagulate at pH 3 to pH 4 3-8 wt. %Calcium 0.1-0.5 wt. % Acidulant 0.5-3 wt. % Carbohydrate 4-20 wt. % Fat0-5 wt. % Emulsifying agent 0-0.5 wt. % Agar 0.1-1 wt. % Water 65-90 wt.%


2. The gel composition according to claim 1, further comprising 0.1 to20 wt. % of at least one masking agent selected from the groupconsisting of fruit juice, fermented milk, hard-to-digest dextrin,reduced hard-to-digest dextrin, nigerooligosaccharide and trehalose. 3.The gel composition according to claim 1, further comprising vitamin Din an amount of 0.1×10⁻⁶ to 10×10⁻⁶ wt. %.
 4. The gel compositionaccording to claim 1, wherein the protein that does not coagulate at pH3 to pH 4 is at least one member selected from the group consisting ofwhey protein concentrates, whey protein isolates, desalted whey, andprotein hydrolysates having a number average molecular weight of 500 to10000.